Pulp Cavity
Definition
The hollow channel inside a tusk or tooth that in life contains blood vessels and nerves. In elephant tusks the pulp cavity extends roughly one-third of the tusk length from the base; in narwhal tusks it runs the full length as a wide spiral channel.
- Nature
- Hollow channel inside a tusk or tooth
- Elephant tusk extent
- Roughly one-third of tusk length from the base
- Narwhal tusk extent
- Full length, as a wide spiral channel
Common questions
Why does pulp cavity structure help identify the species source of ivory?+
The length, shape, and cross-sectional pattern of the pulp cavity differ by species, elephant, narwhal, walrus, and hippo tusks each show distinct internal geometry, so a cut cross-section supports species identification alongside features like Schreger lines.
Is the pulp cavity always visible in a worked ivory piece?+
Not necessarily. Visibility depends on where along the tusk the piece was cut, since in elephant tusks the cavity does not extend the full length, so a carving from the tip may show none at all.
Related terms
- Dentinal Tubules
- Microscopic channels running radially through dentine from the pulp cavity to the outer surface. They house odontoblast cell processes that can carry...
- Mammoth Ivory Legality Gap
- Because Mammuthus primigenius is extinct and therefore not within CITES scope, its ivory is not internationally regulated. This legal gap is exploited...
- Rhinoceros Horn Keratin Tubules
- Tightly packed melanin-pigmented keratin fibres, 50-80 micrometres in diameter, visible in a rhino horn cross-section under SEM. Distinguished from the keratinous sheath...
- Schreger Angle
- The acute angle formed at the intersection of two sets of dentinal tubule lines visible in the cross-section of a tusk. Values...
- Schreger Lines
- Crossing arc patterns in elephant and mammoth tusk cross-sections formed by the angles at which dentinal tubule bundles intersect. The acute angle...